25 Years Later ... A 'Sword and the Sorcerer' Sequel?

You'd have to be a seriously passionate fan of garbage cinema to recognize the name Albert Pyun. And you'd have to be a mega-maniacal ultra-wacko punishment-glutton to actually sit down and watch all of his films. For those who are less than familiar with the Pyun ouevre and suspect that I'm just being mean, I'll now list every film the man's ever made, only I'm leaving one out for a second. Ready? (You might want to sit down first.)

I know. (I bolded my favorites.) He's like the anti-Spielberg, and if you've seen more than five or six of these titles then you know what I mean. But I left the Hawaiian-born schlock-maker's very first flick off the list -- because I absolutely love it. It's a 1982 Conan wannabe called The Sword and the Sorcerer, and I've been a massive fan of this freaky little B-flick since the day I first saw it on HBO in 1984. It's mostly an action-adventure thing, but it's also got doses of hardcore action, gory horror, tongue-in-cheek comedy ... and whatever else Pyun and company opted to toss into the blender. It not only stars Lee HorsleyandSimon MacCorkindale, but it's also got Richard Lynch, Reb Brown and Richard (yes, Bull from Night Court) Moll as an evil warlock who pulls people's hearts out. It's got tons of action, giant snakes, a hearty sprinkling of sexiness ... and a pre-credits message that says "Talon will return in Tales of the Ancient Empire." (Talon was the hero of the piece.)

So the years went by and I revisited The Sword and the Sorcerer a few more times (especially when Anchor Bay released it on DVD), but I never actually thought A.P. would ever actually MAKE the thing. But guess what? According to an email from Mr. Pyun to AICN's Moriarty, it looks like production on Tales of the Ancient Empire will be shooting in Tunisia come October. That's all the info the director would share, but color me stunned regardless. For his part, Lee "Talon" Horsley just finished a supporting gig in Wayne Kramer's Crossing Over, so maybe he's ready to wield that wacky three-bladed sword one more time. (Seriously, you guys have to rent The Sword and the Sorcerer.)

More news on this mega-highly-anticipated-by-me sequel as it becomes available. Yeah, I really love the '80s flick cheese. That's why Cinematical hired me. You go Pyun!